


Safety in Numbers

by ariefliestonight



Category: Banana Fish (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Adoption, London, Original Character(s), Originally Posted on Tumblr, Past Character Death, Past Child Abuse, Past Rape/Non-con, Past Relationship(s), Past Sexual Abuse, Past Violence, School
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-01
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-14 01:42:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,644
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29785275
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ariefliestonight/pseuds/ariefliestonight
Summary: This time Ash is given a second chance. Away from Dino. Away from New York. Away from everything that he once knew.  And he hates it. He is relocated, not by choice, to a house in London, where he plans on playing along until he can finally1 find a way to make it back to eliji.
Kudos: 10





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Authors note: Dino is still alive, but Banana fish the drug has been destroyed  
> Honestly this is one of the first works I've acctually worked on for a long time. Please pardon any spelling mistakes - I am very dyslex1ic.  
> Any comments - positive or negative, are welcomed

The last thing Ash remembered was going to the library. He had read Elji's letter about two times over, when the feeling of pain had vanished and was replaced by a disconcertingly calming numbness. At least he couldn’t cause any trouble when he was dead. A small smile came across his face.

"Looks like someone is waking up," A gentle voice came from seemingly nowhere. The motherly voice almost comforted him, until he remembered he was supposed to be dead. And unless he was in heaven, which he highly doubted, there shouldn’t be anyone else here.

A wave of panic overcame him as he started opening his eyes slowly. He used one hand to try and search for his stab wound, but his hands seemed to tied back. He tugged against the metal cuffs which pinned both of his arms at each side, drawing blood. So definitely not in heaven.

"Don't panic, you are safe here" The voice spoke again, but all Ash did was scoff quietly in return. Ash had heard that sentence a thousand times, and every time it was a lie. The women at his side looked unthreatening, but that did not mean that she actually was. Looks don’t always give you the best idea of someone. Ash was the best example, if anyone looked at him they just saw a normal teenager, not the leader of a crime syndicate.

"Where am I?" His voice sounded hoarse. He tried again "Where am I? And let me go" It came out in a dangerously low hiss.

"Well, I can't let you go just yet" The woman next to him looked somewhere between 20 and 30. Her curly hair was put in a tight ponytail, and she wore casual clothes, a t-shirt and black joggers. But somehow she managed to look more put together than anyone he had ever seen . "You are in London, Ash. When Max found you in that library, he made the decision to make you come here. For protection of course" She spoke in what he thought was a British accent, but there was a slight lilt that he didn’t recognise.

She knew Max. She could be lying as well though. She could be someone Dino hired to trick him and manipulate him and get him back in his clutches.

"Hey calm down. If you want, I can call him right now? Would you like that”?

Ash just nodded; his hands had formed tight fists without him realising. He would do anything to talk to someone familiar.

But if he was here where was Elji. Was he safe? What about his gang? Did they know that he was alive and where he was?

"ASH! how are you doing buddy" Max's voice boomed from her phone, "I see you have met Amira already. Don’t worry about her she’s a right old softie" The woman in question just narrowed her eyes a bit and gave a soft smile and shrugged of Max’s comment. Max rambled on about New york,

Would that old man every shut up.

"That's nice and all but can you tell me why I am here."

"Well, it was too dangerous to keep you herein New York, so Ibe and I chose it was best to. You know. Put you somewhere safe”.

Ash wanted to interject. He wanted to shout. He wanted to go home. He had lived his whole life without the need of someone’s protection. He didn’t need it now. There was no point in showing his anger now. It would only make Max worried, and that would not help him.

They spent a few more hours talking. Apparently, all his gang and Elji knew he was alive and safe, but just not where he was for security reason.

And it did not matter at the end of the day. He was going to get back to Elji.

With that being his last thought, Ash dozed off. The pain medication and exhaustion taking over.

His sleep was disturbed by someone knocking on his door and a creak as it opened. He tried to bring up his arms to protect himself, even a little bit. But he was only greeted with the painful bite of metal against his wrists. Stupid handcuffs. He felt so weak it reminded him of the days were Dino would keep him shut up in his room, only letting people come in when they felt like having ‘fun’ with him. 

"Hi there Ash. You're awake, so we can talk finally" The lady from before, her brown curly hair was now tied up in bun. He couldn’t even remember her name. 

"My name is Amira" she can closer and he could see she was holding a plate of food. She moved towards his arms, a soft smile playing on her lips. "You’re not going to attack me if I take these off right? Max told you were the unpredictable type”.

"Well, if do I wouldn't be unpredictable would I?"

"Touché" She removes his handcuffs. He rubs his wrists noticing a silver bracelet around his left hand, almost skin tight. That definitely was not there before.

"We run a home here of sorts. Caring for children with similar pasts like yours. Dangerous pasts, hiding from dangerous people...you get the idea" Ash was too busy inspecting his new piece of jewellery, which did not seem to want to come of.

“What is this?”

“It’s a tracker. Don’t bother trying to take it of. It will blow at least half of you in sperate direction” Amira explained with a smile. But her voice was ice cold.

“Nice to know I’m trusted” He was angry , but he pushed it down and took the plate from her. Do not show her you are angry, keep it under control.  
“You're smart. You know we couldn’t let you leave here. ”

“I thought I was here for protection. Not to be a prisoner”

“Oh, you are. But keeping you alive is my job. And you are the type to try and leave. and I can’t promise your safety if you leave” She raises an eyebrow, making direct eye contact with him. 

“I can take care of myself”

“Yes I can see that” She nodded her head to his stab wound and raised an eyebrow.

That’s when Ash decided that he hated this women

"There is only one more kid that we care for. so altogether there are only three people in this house" Low security. "You will go to a local school and will try to have a normal life. There are some house rules, and you will be expected to follow them”.

Yes. He did not like her. He gave her a nod and handed back the empty plate. At least the food was good.

“If that knife makes you feel better about your situation you can keep it. but if you were counting on the element of surprise you might as well give it to me” she turned to face him from the door. His eyes met hers and didn’t leave. “Fine,keep it”

She left the room, and he was faced with a pin drop silence. At least he could think now


	2. Chapter 2 : Introductions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ash finally meets the other occupant of the house. And very unsurprisingly, Ash is not a fan

Walking down the stairs hurt. So much. So did sitting down. *Fuck.* But he was so fed up being stuck in the room.

"Hi. You must be Ash " A girl with dark coloured hair glanced his way, before turning all her attention back to her phone. Her hair was dead straight and went down till her mid -back. She seemed to be wearing a uniform; a pleated skirt and a simple white shirt was tucked in at her waist. There was a blazer slung across the back of her chair. It looked like it was taken straight out of one of those British TV shows that came on Netflix.

"Yes I am. And you are ...?" He took a seat opposite her trying to hide the wince of pain

"Well my name is Blake. You're looking well" She talked in a strong new Yorker accent , almost identical to his own, but never once looked up at him.

"You're from America?" Ash felt a small wave of homesickness at the sound of a familiar accent

"Ha. Fuck no" She blew air through her nose ,almost as if she was disgusted by the idea of being American, "I am a born and bred British. Never been to America. Not once. And I hope to god it stays that way" The American accent as strong as ever.

"But your accent" Ash narrowed his eyes at her, in repose she just smirked at him. He could barely make out her eyes beneath a unkempt fringe that went past her eyebrows.

"You realise she is just imitating you. Give the poor boy a rest. Can't you see he looks tired" Amira had popped out of nowhere poured a bowl of cereal and sat down on the kitchen island.

*How could she imitate him , when she was the one who talked first. Had she already known about him*

" More like pathetic" The words were muttered under her breath. But it was quite obvious she wanted Ash to hear

"Well, it's not like you could deal any better with a stab wound" He hissed in pain and anger as he leaned forward, glaring at her.

"Are you planning to bet on it?" 

She looked up from her phone, and Ash was finally able to see her face now that it wasn't hidden under an overgrown fringe. One of her eyes was a startling blue, but one of them looked like it had been clouded over. He could still see pupil and the iris if he looked past the haze. She had a notch in her eyebrow right above the milky eye, and another one on her top lip on the same side.

The small smile on her face grew revealing perfect teeth and canines to pointed for his liking. Ash felt cornered, and se just smiled wider .It was almost as if she knew how he felt. 

*Don't be ridiculous, she's just a girl. Shes most probably younger than me as well.*

But that didn't stop a sliver of fear crawling up Ash's back. He was more than a thousand miles from any of his friends - he had no sort of protection here.

"Okay. That's enough for now. You off to school and you eat" She shooed Blake off with half a smile,who got up to walk away before turning around and sticking a hand towards Ash.

"I can't wait to meet you Ash" 

Ash takes her hand after getting over the feelings of confusion 

She gives a small smile, before nodding to Amira and leaving the house. Ash waits for the door to close before speaking

"How long has she lived here?"

"About 3 months. Don't get fussed about what she says though. She's charming in her own way”.

"I doubt it" Amira gives a smile, and gently pats him on the shoulder before walking away. It's the only smile that she has given him that didn't make him feel like there was a double meaning or a warning hidden behind it

"I have work to do. You can go anywhere around the house, except into anyone's room. There's a TV,a library, a craft room of sorts. Or you can rest. And I will call you at lunch" She turns around and makes direct eye contact with Ash, "But don't leave the house " shiver goes down Ashes spine involuntarily.

Ash slowly starts exploring the house, which wasn't as big as he thought it was. There were only 2 floors and the attic had been converted into a library with a room filled with musical instruments and canvases on the other side. The living room and the kitchen were separated by a hallway and there were two bathrooms; one upstairs and one downstairs. His room, Blake's room and Maelin's room were all on the second floor, along with an office which was now being used by Maelin. He went back to his room and looked out of the window which overlooked the garden. There was a swing on the side and a huge amount of plants. It definitely looked well kept and looked after.

If he was here on any other circumstances he would've been relaxed. With a library with books even he hadn't heard of, a garden that looked well-loved and a room filled with so many arty materials; it was the sort of place he had imagined he would have if he didn't get involved in a gang. If his baseball coach hadn't touched him. If Dino hadn't noticed him. 

He absentmindly ran his finger across the photos in the craft room. They were generic photos, of lakes, sunsets and flowers. There was no soul to them. Elji had once told him how you could see someone's soul in the pictures they took. Ash had scoffed, and just teased him. But he knew it was true. When Elji showed him the photos he took, he felt like he was seeing deeper into Elji. But he would never admit that. *Fuck. He missed him.*

Ash ran his hands across his eyes roughly, wiping up a stray tear, and walked back downstairs

His exploration was interrupted by Amira calling him for lunch, which they ate in a half awkward silence, as Ash used one hand to read a book he had taken from the library and she ate while typing on a laptop, and glancing up at him when she thought he wasnt looking 

At about 4pm the door opened and Ash could here loud stomping which stopped at the kitchen or the living room he wasn't sure. He needed more time to get used to the house. He could hear the soft murmurs as Blake, he guessed who had returned from school, talked with Amira. He could also hear laughter , which caught him by surprise. Amira did not seem like someone you could share a laugh with. A smile maybe but not a laugh

A few minutes later he heard footsteps coming up the stairs and going into the room next to his.

He returned to the book he had taken out of the library


	3. chapter 3

A week passed by with no change. He would wake up; the other occupants would barely pay any attention to him unless it was time to eat or they needed something from him. Ash had used his time wisely; memorizing the houses layout and had stored at least 3 objects that he could use as self-defence if it were needed.

Blake had barely spoken to him after their first encounter and she was barely at the house as well. She would say good morning every morning to him and Amira before going to school, and the next time he would see her was the next morning. For someone who had forcibly put a tracker on him, Amira did not seem to bother at all by the constant disappearances of one of her charges. She just tended to stay in her office and let him do whatever he wanted in the house. He still had not dared to step out of the house, just to make sure that he could build up trust between him and the head of the house.

When Amira finally talked to him, it was about going to school. Which he quickly agreed to, he was growing sick of being stuck here, and learning more about the outside would aid him in the long run.

"You are starting school tomorrow right" Blake was leaning on her door, turning to face him. She wore a matching navy-blue pyjama set, and with hair ties up into two bunches- she barely looked like a teenager.

"Yep. Amira gave me the uniform. It looks horrendous”.

"Oh. Most of our uniforms look like that here. You guys never have uniforms in your schools, do you?" She leaned on the doorway making her seem shorter than she was, and she barely reached his chin standing up.

"I guess not. "

The only education he got after the age of 12 was from Dino's private tutors.

"You haven't been?" she quirked an eyebrow up, cocking her head.

"Nope. I've always been too busy I guess" He shrugs it off. Busy training to be a madman's prefect pet.

She turned to go into her room, her braids her whipping around. "Ok. Fair enough, I guess. We leave at 8am, and we walk to school. Don't be late”.

He nodded.

\---

It was still dark when Ash woke up, drowning in his own cold sweat.

He wanted to puke. Why was he so nervous. He had faced death more times than he could count, been beaten, raped, and used but now here he was sick to his stomach about school. The clock on his bedside table read 6am. Guess it was not too early to get changed.

The school uniform was not as horrendous as he thought. It was simple just a white shirt, black, grey trouser, a silver and green striped tie and a black blazer.

With the whole getup he looked like Dino's perfect pet. All suit and tie, ready to put on a show.

Blake was already eating breakfast when he came downstairs. She did not have a tie like the one he had just thrown into the bin.

They ate in silence till Amira came in and gave him a one over.

"Where's your tie?"

Ash shrugged, which just earned him a raised eyebrow from Amira. But she thankfully just gave a sigh and moved on.

"You both will have the same classes, except your electives which Ash will need to choose when he gets there. Blake, I expect you to keep an eye on him. Don't let him get into trouble" Amira narrowed her eyes at Ash. She was still suspious of him even though he had not given any reason to be. Blake gave a grunt in response and looked through the folder which she then put in her bag.

"I know how to handle myself and if I need to go outside doesn't that mean I can take this of" He pointed at his bracelet.

"Maybe later"

_Fusk you_

Ash could feel red hot anger, but he pushed it down. Only giving her a somewhat understanding nod.

How Blake wore a skirt that barley reached her knees in this weather was feat. Especially when she barley had any meat on her. It was cold and it was rainy and the umbrella that was in Ash's hand was useless. He needed a jacket before he caught frostbite.

The comfort of the school office was a godsend. While Blake went to talk to the receptionist, he warmed up his hands on the heater.

"You need to fill this out. You need to choose three subject you want to take in order of preference" She had put on a large jumper over her damp shirt and her nose and ears were tipped pink. It reminded him of Elji when they had gone for a walk one day and it started snowing. He pushed that thought out of his head. She was nothing like him. He filled in the form; Languages , History and Photography being his choices. Before he handed in did, he notices the writing on the top. Ash Black meadow. He gave a frown, but he had already anticipated a name change.

"Ash, right? Just pass that and I will get that sorted for you" The receptionist called him over, and she explained his classes, where he was supposed to go and where lunch was. When they had finished talking, he turned around to see Blake carrying a jumper which he received gladly and pulled over his slightly damp shirt.

They went to the form room, which took a while, but he was glad that.  
He looked in the reflection of the classroom windows, and instead of seeing himself, Ash lynx leader of the most powerful gang in New York. He saw a teenager, a child, nervous for his first day of school. He hated it.

Even if this was something everyone his age had experienced. It had been robbed from him by his coach, by Dino. And he hated it. If he had never been one of Dino's pets, never been one of his coaches favourites would he have been here now. Would he be here in a different country, running away from yet another threat. But it was worth it. Was not it.

The classroom was big and sat about 30 people and had a whole wall of windows. He chose not to sit next to Blake in the middle of the classroom and opted to sit in an empty space in the back.

He observed the students coming in, read their body language. It would not be fun to piss any of them. Seeing that all his knowledge of school came from those ridiculous romance dramas the Elji forced him to watch, he was not prepared for this.

It is a school. Youve been in prison before.

He could see the common cliques, the sporty, the popular, the nerds. But instead of being in tight knit groups, everyone seemed to almost meld together. And they also seemed to also gravitate towards Blake, who smiled and laughed along. It was the most emotion he had seen from her in the past weeks.

It was when the teacher walked in that everyone hushed. He was a small man, and he looked barely out of university. He suggested Ash should stand up in front of the class and introduce himself, Ash just sent a glare, which made him just nod amicably and carry on. No-one had even paid much attention to yet either, apart from a few side glances.

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to comment. Any 1attenetntion is valued


End file.
